Next to Christmas, Easter is my absolute favorite time of the year! First of all, I love Spring time, then we get to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior! Our family always does it up big time on Easter as well. We get together and have tons of food, an Easter egg hunt and sacred family time. And talk about doing it up big time…I LOVE EASTER BASKETS! I’ve never been one to buy a pre-made basket. I probably go a little too far with the basket and what I put in it but I only have one child and gift giving is my love language 🙂 And of course I can’t leave out the part where you get all dolled up in your Sunday best for church and pictures. So here’s a few tips from me to you to keep your Easter as fun and fashionable as possible!

EASTER SUNDAY IS APRIL 21ST!!! In case you didn’t know, I thought I would throw that out there. Let’s talk about what you need to be doing now to prepare.

1. EASTER OUTFIT: Picking out your Easter outfit. Don’t wait until the last minute because things get picked over and Easter is less than 3 weeks away already. My favorite picks are linked here, here, here, here and here.
2. DRESSING YOUR FAMILY: If you have children or a husband to dress, I normally go to Old Navy for my husband and my son. Also, for children, try consignment shops. I buy button down shirts for Caden there for school pictures and you can get name brand items, gently used for cheap.
3. EASTER BASKETS: If you have children, start thinking about and buying what you will be putting in their Easter basket. Or if you don’t and you want to make your significant other a little basket, you could do that too!
4. FOOD: If you do anything like my family, you need to start making a list of your menu and what all you need. You may think I’m crazy but these next few weeks will fly by and you’ll wonder how Easter came so fast and you have nothing done.

Saturday night before we have to dye eggs…like we just have to. Honestly, I think I enjoy it more than Caden does. We normally cook steaks that night and sometimes do Resurrection Rolls which are really cool because it represents the empty tomb of Jesus when you open them up.

EASTER BASKET IDEAS: I normally start picking up things here and there at the beginning of the month for Caden’s basket. I always get one of those plastic tubs for less than $1 at Walmart then put the stuff in and around it. That basket won’t be seen or heard after this day so I’m not spending more than that. Target Dollar Spot and Dollar Tree are great places to look for cute little things to add in as well.

Baby/Toddler:

1. Books about Easter
2. Blanket
3. Stuffed Animal
4. New Pajamas
5. Snacks/Candy
6. Puzzles
7. Coloring Book/Crayons
8. Water Guns/Outdoor play toys
9. New outfit/shoes
10. Toothbrush/Bubble Bath
11. Board Games

Grade School:

1. Books about Easter
2. New Clothes/Shoes
3. Small Nerf Gun
4. Makeup/Nail Polish
5. Dollar bills or change in plastic eggs
6. Favorite Candy
7. Body Wash/Bath Set
8. Action Figure/Barbie or baby doll
9. Kid’s size watch/Jewelry
10. Video Game
11. Card games (UNO) (Go Fish)

FAVORITE EASTER DISHES

I am no chef but I can follow a Pinterest recipe really well! I made these dishes several years ago for an Easter feast and I would love to make them again this year. Especially the colorful deviled eggs…how fun is that? I will give credit where credit is due but the green beans are my own creation and the deviled eggs are my hubby’s specialty with a fun twist!

GREEN BEANS: Use whatever kind and how ever many cans of green beans you need for the amount of people you are going to feed. I normally just buy them at Walmart or Aldi. Pour the beans and the juice in the pot with 1-2 beef bullion cubes, 2 TBS of soy sauce and an onion if you’d like then let them cook until the water is gone on medium heat.

COLORED DEVILED EGGS: Boil a dozen eggs for about 15 mins and let cool. When cool, remove the yolk. Put one tablespoon of vinegar and a half cup of water and food coloring in a cup until you get your desired color. Drop the eggs in and let soak. Remove and put on paper towel and let dry, then pipe in filling. FILLING: 1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 tsp ground mustard, 3/4 tsp white wine vinegar, salt, pepper.

RASPBERRY HONEY BUTTER: 1/2 butter, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup red raspberry preserves, 1/2 tsp vanilla—Beat butter until soft. Add honey and preservatives while mixer is running. Add vanilla and beat for 10 minutes. Store refrigerated in a plastic container. –recipe cred, Shauna Norton

KIELBASA AND KRAUT: Love this dish so much! I make it a lot in the fall but it’s good all of the time. I cut this recipe in half when I’m just cooking for Todd, Caden and myself. You’ll need 2 kielbasa, 2 32oz packages of sauerkraut, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 cup water,  1 cup apple cider. Drain and rinse kraut. Slice kielbasa into 1 inch lengths. Throw everything into the crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours. –Recipe cred beantownbaker.com

In all honesty, the Cadbury egg blondies were not good so I found something way better!! Lemon Cheesecake with Strawberry Cookie Crust  Yes!! I think so!!

Let’s not forget the real reason we celebrate Easter! I know all of the bunny rabbits are cute and we get distracted by the pretty clothes and buying candy and stuffing baskets. But Jesus died for us guys…he was ridiculed and beaten and left for dead on a cross for you and me to live eternally with him in Heaven! Isn’t that so AWESOME!! There is NO GREATER LOVE. I love you all and from my family to yours, Happy Easter! 

XOXO, Lauren